Icarus
by ZorasimplyZora
Summary: Arthur Kirkland is a simple merchant trying to make a living on the airship Rainha do Mar. However, his life goes into a tailspin after a popular inventor turns up dead in London and Arthur was the last person to see him. Now Arthur must find the real murderer, somewhere in the Steampunk Victorian-era England. Icarus recounts this mystery through pages from Arthur's own journal.


April 23rd 1879

Erm, hello. Gah, I don't know a bloody thing I'm supposed to write in this blasted journal. Secrets? Obviously not, otherwise our resident Prussian will get his hand on this. Stories? What do you expect me to write about a flying mint bunny? I'm a merchant, not a writer. Dreams are out; anyone who reads this will think I'm off my rocker. Ah, thank you Elizaveta, apparently I'm supposed to write about my life, and my day.

My name, as you can tell from the cover, is Arthur Kirkland. I work as a merchant along with three others on the old and tiny (but surprisingly fast) Rainha do Mar airship. By airship, I do mean a flying ship. The main part is a real ship that is functional in air and water. The inventor who designed the steam engines knew what he was doing, since they can propel in the air and water. Most airships need an extra set; that's why we can go so fast. Attached to the sides are two metal and canvas wings that look similar to bat wings. However, there's one flaw to them: they don't fold up correctly, so they block the cannons. Humph. That's fortunate for the bloody frog's extravagant ship; I would have blasted him out of the sky at one point. Finally, there's the giant blimp attached to the ship. With fishnets. Don't ask, but there was one incident where the ropes were cut and the blimp nearly flew away. Fortunately, we docked the ship at the time but someone decided to shoot it out of the sky and I had to fix it.

Like nearly everyone in London, I started as an orphan boy living with five brothers. Five _annoying _brothers. Do you know how infuriating it is being the second youngest? They constantly picked on me as a child, and they expect me to send money back to get Peter through school since I am "the most successful." Everyone else is working in the factories. How original. I however work in a four-person company where my limbs are not as risk of a machine lobbing off one or two.

Admittedly though, I have a checkered past. I used to be part of a group of pirates, though I only helped keep the ship clean. I was young at the time, obviously. The youngest on board. But, well, I was desperate for money. It finally ended when the British navy captured the ship, and I managed to escape.

Okay, enough of the stupid things I did when I was a lad! Let me see… how about I tell you about the other people I work with! On the Rainha do Mar there is the ship's captain and my best friend Maria Henriques, a lady named Elizabeta (or Liz for short) Héderváry, and the irritating Prussian Gilbert Beilschmidt.

Maria is the one who started all of this when we were younger and for some reason (me) she decided to spend the summer months here in London. She's Portuguese but after a fight with her brother, she moved her. The two fought over their father's company, Maria claiming that she should inherit it as the first-born and raised Antonio while the numbskull retorted with "Hermana, a lady is not supposed to inherit the company!" After three lawsuits, dozens of death threats and one sword fight that left Maria without an eye, she left with enough money to buy a used airship and other supplies. Meanwhile under Antonio's management the company has gone bankrupt. I willingly agreed to manage her finances since Maria is also terrible with money.

Elizabeta Héderváry, was originally Maria's friend from school. Why a Hungarian decided to study in Lisbon still eludes me. After a fire burned down her husband Roderich mansion and Roderich himself, she also ended up with just enough inheritance to join us and pay for that steam engine I mentioned earlier. Also several brass weapons. She is a lovely young woman, though spirited at times. By spirited I mean she usually argues with Gilbert. There is some sort of past between them, but when I ask, Liz shuts up, and Gilbert flips the bird.

Last, but god forbid not least, There's Gilbert (and Gilbird). An albino. He originally trained under his father to become part of the "awesome Prussian military," but, gasp, they wouldn't let him in because you can spot him from ten miles away unless it's snowing he's naked for some reason (unfortunately he tried that when we docked in Switzerland, though that may have been to annoy Vash). Perhaps that's why Maria appointed him to sell the spices; people just flock to him. He has a younger brother whose is in the military, actually in high ranks. He seems to have a soft spot for him, occasionally sending him sweets as if he were a child.

_/^/_*Supposed to be ripped paper*^/^/^/^/_

Well, that's everybody. It is getting late; this is where I'll end.


End file.
